Mounting for panel-type instruments

ABSTRACT

An indicating instrument mounted in a cylindrical casing which has attached to its front edge, and surrounding the window thereof, a ringlike bezel provided with apertured mounting flanges. The front window, bezel and casing constitute a rigid unitary assemblage. Surrounding and slidable on the casing is a thick-walled sleeve having a cylindrical bore and a polygonal exterior. The sleeve is adapted to be clamped securely to the rear of a panel in back of an instrument opening therein, and to extend rearwardly therefrom. Screws which are operable from the front of the instrument, releasably secure the flanged bezel to the sleeve, thereby to mount the instrument on the panel. When the front screws are removed, the bezel is free of the sleeve which surrounds the instrument casing, thereby enabling the instrument to be withdrawn forwardly of the panel for servicing. The sleeve has threaded holes to accommodate the screws, whereby the removal and replacement of the instrument can be done quickly and easily, completely from the front of the panel.

United States Patent [72] Inventor Donald IE. Protzmann Litchfield. Conn. (21] AppliNo. 881,197 [22] Filed Dec. 1,1969 [45] Patented lune 29, 1971 [73] Assignee Lewis Engineering Compam Naugatucli, Conn.

[54] MOUNTING FOR PANEL-TYPE INSTRUMENTS 5 Claims, 5 Drawing Figs.

[52] 11.8. CI 248/27 [51] Int.Cl GlZb 9/00 [50] Field of Search 248/27; 240/2.1

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,424,611 8/1922 Barbarou 248/27 2,100,604 11/1937 Kollsman 248/27 2,855,167 10/1958 Christophersen 248/27 FOREIGN PATENTS 523,483 4/1956 Canada 248/27 Primary Examiner- Roy D Frazier Assirlam Examiner- Frank Domotor At10rney-Gibner H. Lehmann ABSTRACT: An indicating instrument mounted in a cylindrical casing which has attached to its front edge, and surrounding the window thereof, a ringlike bezel provided with apertured mounting flanges. The front window, bezel and easing constitute a rigid unitary assemblage. Surrounding and slidable on the casing is a thiclowalled sleeve having a cylindrical bore and a polygonal exterior. The sleeve is adapted to be clamped securely to the rear of a panel in back of an instrument opening therein, and to extend rearwardly therefrom. Screws which are operable from the front of the instrument, releasably secure the flanged bezel to the sleeve, thereby to mount the instrument on the panel. When the front screws are removed, the bezel is free of the sleeve which surrounds the instrument casing, thereby enabling the instrument to be withdrawn forwardly of the panel for servicing, The sleeve has threaded holes to accommodate the screws, whereby the removal and replacement of the instrument can be done quickly and easily, completely from the front of the panel.

PATENTED JUHZS [9n SHEET 2 BF 2 INVENTOR Donald, E Ppotzmunn AGENT MOUNTING FOlR PANEL-TYPE INSTRUMENTS CROSS-REFERENCES TO COPENDING APPLICATIONS Copending application of Donald E. Protzmann, Ser. No. 875,749 filed Nov. l2, i969 and entitled Illuminated Instrument Pointer, and having common ownership with the present application.

Copending application of Donald E. Protzmann and Edmund F. Zawacki, Ser. No. 875,872, filed Nov. l2, I969, entitled Removable and Replaceable Instrument Lamps," and having common ownership with the present application.

BACKGROUND This invention relates to panel-type indicating instruments, and more particularly to instruments of this kind wherein the indicating movement is carried in a small cylindrical casing provided at its front with a transparent window encircled by a bezel.

l-ieretofore, in connection with aircraft instrumentation, clamping assemblages were employed at the rear of the instrument panel, said assemblages being actuated by screws that were operable from the panel front. These clamping assemblages were for the purpose of gripping and mounting the casings of the indicating instruments. With such arrangement, the instrument bezel was brought into contact with the front face of the panel, and the clamping screws were then tightened so as to close the clamp on the casing and secure the instrument in position. This type of mounting had several disadvantages. The clamps did not always operate smoothly, nor was there assurance that the bezel would always be held tightly against the panel face, with the instrument correctly positioned. In addition, the clamping arrangement involved small cam slots and follower lugs which sometimes had a tendency to bind or malfunction if the clamp parts were not accurately aligned.

SUMMARY The foregoing drawbacks of prior instrument mountings are obviated by the present invention, which has for one object the provision of a novel and improved panel mounting device for small indicating instruments, which securely accurately holds the instruments to the panel and yet permits quick and easy removal when servicing is required, such as replacement of dial and pointer lamps or the like. This is accomplished by providing an intermediary mounting member in the form of a thick-walled sleeve or annulus adapted to be secured to the panel rear by the conventional clamping device. The instrument movement is receivable in the said intermediary sleeve, which has threaded holes for receiving fastening screws that pass through flanged portions of the instrument bezel at the front of the casing. When the fastening screws are removed, the bezel and instrument casing can be withdrawn forwardly through the instrument opening in the panel, leaving the intermediary mounting sleeve securely clamped in place and by the conventional clamp. Thus, removal of the instrument does not require loosening and retightening of the multipart clamp having the cam slots, and such clamp when once correctly installed with the intermediary mounting sleeve need not be further disturbed. The removal and replacement of the instrument thus becomes as simple as removing and replacing several screws which are readily accessible, being located at the front of the panel.

Other objects and advantages of the invention involve the provision of an improved instrument mounting forpanel-type indicator devices as above set forth, which is especially simple in construction, reliable and vibrationproof, constituted of relatively few parts, easily operated and installed, and economical to fabricate.

Still other features and advantages will hereinafter appear.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating one embodiment of the invention:

FIG. I is a front elevational view of an indicating instrument mounted on a panel in accordance with the invention.

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view, partly in section, of the instrument and mounting means as provided by the invention.

FIG. 3 is a rear elevational view of the instrument and mounting means of FIGS. l and 2.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the intermediary mounting sleeve which slidably receives the instrument casing.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a clamping device heretofore employed to secure indicating instruments to an instrument panel.

Considering first FIGS. 2, 3 and 5, the conventional and well-known instrument clamping devise as illustrated therein comprises a ring-shaped assemblage having roughly an eightsided polygonal configuration. Six sides of the assemblage are constituted of two oppositely located angle-shaped pieces which are identical to each other whereby only one will be described.

Considering FIG. 5, the upper one of such angle-shaped pieces comprises a pair of rectangular bearing plates l0 which are secured to each other in right-angled relation by a bridging member 12 having bent end portions 14 welded to the bearing plates 10 at places indicated by the Xs. The bridging member 12 has a threaded boss 16 accommodating a mounting screw 18 adapted to pass through a mounting hole in the instrument panel 20 so as to secure the boss 16, member 12 and plates l0 thereto. The four bearing plates 10 are provided with flat flanged rivets 22 which are received in diagonal cam slots 24 of a pair of angularly bent end portions 26 of oppositely disposed cam members 28. The cam members 28 have threaded bosses 30 carrying screws 32 adapted to pass through other mounting holes in the panel 20. The arrangement is such that when the cam members 28 are shifted forward (as viewed in FIG. 5) with respect to the bearing plates 10, the effective diametric or peripheral size of the clamping assemblage is reduced, causing it to close-in on any object over which it has been slipped (such as a polygonal-shaped instrument casing).

In accordance with the present invention, the clamping assemblage illustrated in FIG. 5 as heretofore known and provided, is utilized in combination with a thick-walled adapter or mounting sleeve to securely mount indicating instruments having cylindrical casings in a manner to enable removal and replacement of the instruments to be easily and quickly effected from a location at the front of the panel.

In FIGS. 2 and 3 the cylindrical instrument casing is indicated at 34. Adapted to slidably fit over the cylindrical casing 34 is an adapter or mounting sleeve 36 having a cylindrical bore 38 and a polygonal exterior comprising four long sides 40 alternately disposed with four short sides 42. The mounting sleeve 36 is adapted to fit into the conventional clamping assemblage showing in FIG. 5 whereby it may be securely clamped to the rear of the panel 20 by tightening of the screws 32 passing through the panel and accessible at the front thereof. As seen in FIG. 2, the mounting sleeve 36 also fits within the opening 44 provided in the panel 20 for the instrument casing 34. With such arrangement, the mounting sleeve 36 can be accurately positioned in the opening 44 and securely clamped in such position prior to insertion of the instrument casing 34 in the sleeve. Thus, an accurate prealignment can be readily effected.

Carried at the front end of the casing 34, and surrounding the window d6 thereof is a ringlike bezel 48 which is preferably screwed onto the casing 34 as seen in FIG. 2. The bezel 48 has a circular opening 50, and has a polygonal outer periphery comprising four long edges 52 which are interposed with four short edges 54. With such construction, four flange portions 56 are provided, said flange portions having apertures to receive mounting screws 58 which are received in threaded holes 60 of the mounting sleeve 36.

The casing 34, window 46 and bezel 48 constitute a rigid unitary assemblage, and it will now be seen that such assemblage can be slipped into the mounting sleeve 36 from the front of the panel and can be secured in place by means of the screws 58 which are tightened in the threaded holes 60 of the sleeve. As shown, the sleeve 36 is axially longer than one-half of the axial length of the casing 34. Thus the alignment of the instrument casing 34 will be accurate, as determined by the accurate positioning of the mounting sleeve 36 which was preassembled to the panel 20. If, at a later time it should be necessary to remove the instrument casing 34 for servicing, such as for replacement of dial lights or the like, it is merely necessary for the workman at the front of the panel to remove the four screws 58 whereupon the bezel 48 and the casing 34 may be pulled forwardly for servicing. Afterward, the instrument casing can be replaced and the screws 58 tightened again, all with the utmost ease and facility. The clamping assemblage found in FIG. 5 and the mounting sleeve 36 are not disturbed or moved during such servicing operation, and accordingly no trouble will be experienced, as was previously had with repositioning and tightening of the clamping assemblage prior to the present invention.

it will now be seen from the foregoing that l have provided a novel and improved, simple mounting means by which indicating instruments may be secured to panels, said mounting means enabling the instruments to be easily and quickly removed from the front for servicing or repair operations. The mounting means comprises relatively few parts and is especially sturdy and resistant to vibration, misalignment and disruptive forces.

Variations and modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention.

lclaim:

I. An instrument mounting comprising, in combination:

a. an instrument casing including a tubular body portion,

b. a bezel attached to the front of the casing and projecting past the sidewalls thereof, c. a sleeve surrounding the casing and removable past the casing rear,

d. fastening means operable from the front of the bezel, releasably securing the bezel and sleeve to each other in end-to-end relation.

. a clamp device extending around the sleeve and adapted to be attached to the rear of a panel provided with an opening through which the instrument casing can extend and pass, said clamp device having operable means enabling it to rigidly grip the sleeve so as to secure the latter to the panel at the rear and around the opening thereof,

f. loosening of said fastening means so as to release the bezel from the sleeve enabling the casing to be withdrawn forwardly of the sleeve.

2. An instrument mounting as in claim 1, and further including:

a. an instrument panel having an opening for the casing,

b. said sleeve fitting into the panel opening,

0. the back surface of said bezel abutting the front edge of the sleeve and facing the front of the panel.

3. An instrument mounting as in claim I, wherein:

a. the sleeve has a length exceeding one-half the depth of the instrument casing, thereby to support the casing in aligned position when it is only partially withdrawn forwardly of the sleeve.

4. An instrument mounting as in claim I, wherein:

a. the sleeve comprises a casing having a cylindrical bore and a polygonal exterior,

b. said bezel having a polygonal outer periphery similar in shape to the exterior of the sleeve.

5. An instrument mounting as in claim 4, wherein:

a. the fastening means comprises screws passing through the bezel and threaded into the end of the sleeve. 

1. An instrument mounting comprising, in combination: a. an instrument casing including a tubular body portion, b. a bezel attached to the front of the casing and projecting past the sidewalls thereof, c. a sleeve surrounding the casing and removable past the casing rear, d. fastening means operable from the front of the bezel, releasably securing the bezel and sleeve to each other in end-to-end relation. e. a clamp device extending around the sleeve and adapted to be attached to the rear of a panel provided with an opening through which the instrument casing can extend and pass, said clamp device having operable means enabling it to rigidly grip the sleeve so as to secure the latter to the panel at the rear and around the opening thereof, f. loosening of said fastening means so as to release the bezel from the sleeve enabling the casing to be withdrawN forwardly of the sleeve.
 2. An instrument mounting as in claim l, and further including: a. an instrument panel having an opening for the casing, b. said sleeve fitting into the panel opening, c. the back surface of said bezel abutting the front edge of the sleeve and facing the front of the panel.
 3. An instrument mounting as in claim l, wherein: a. the sleeve has a length exceeding one-half the depth of the instrument casing, thereby to support the casing in aligned position when it is only partially withdrawn forwardly of the sleeve.
 4. An instrument mounting as in claim l, wherein: a. the sleeve comprises a casing having a cylindrical bore and a polygonal exterior, b. said bezel having a polygonal outer periphery similar in shape to the exterior of the sleeve.
 5. An instrument mounting as in claim 4, wherein: a. the fastening means comprises screws passing through the bezel and threaded into the end of the sleeve. 